Roadkill
by KAthetomboy
Summary: "It started with a fight. Most accidents do. But those accidents aren't usually like this" One of my few fanfics which I named myself! Not a deathfic, by the way.


It started with a fight. Most accidents do. But those accidents aren't usually like this. They don't usually end with one of your best friends on the brink of death. Of course, it wasn't like I made it happen, it was just a well timed freak accident.

I look down at my bloodied friend, my hands resting on his shoulders, trying to wake him up. My tears flowing onto his still form as the man who hit him makes no move, out of shock or maybe fear. My mind drifts back to the argument that caused this.

 _XxxxxxX_

 _Feeling bored, I decided to go and look for Robin. I tried the lounge room, kitchen and just finished checking the games room. I went to his room, thinking about how I should have checked there first._

 _The door was unlocked so I walked in and immediatley noticed the draw Robin never let me look in, was wide open. As any normal meta-human would in that situation, I peered into it._

 _It had a few photos of a man and what I could only presume was an unmasked Robin. There were also a few handwritten notes and something that I found utterly fascinating. A boomerang._

 _I picked up the boomerang and started examining it._

 _"Bart! What are you- put that back!" Robin shouted at me through concealed tears._

 _On his request I put it back and turned to him guiltily. "It was open when I got here" I defended._

 _"So you decide to just go looking through it!? There are reasons to why that draw's locked, Bart! What were you thinking?" He scolded angrily._

 _"I- I'm sorry I didn't know it-" I tried to apologize._

 _"Exactly!" He cut me off "You didn't know!"_

 _He turned on his heel, his tear stained face now facing away, and started off down the hall._

 _"Robin!" I called after him._

 _"Don't! Just don't Bart!"_

 _"I'm sorry!"_

 _He turned a corner and I chased after him. I met him just before he entered a zetatube and blocked his path._

 _"I'm sorry, Robin. I didn't mean to hurt you. Who-who was that in the photo?"_

 _"My dad! Now, get out of my way!" Robin answered as he shoved me out of the way and entered the tube._

 _I followed him through the tube and we exited next to an empty seeming road in Gotham._

 _"Will you leave me alone?" Tim angrily plead._

 _"I'm sorry, Robin. I really am"_

 _"Then be sorry somewhere else" He said sounding drained._

 _Robin turned and stepped onto the road._

 _XxxxxxX_

My tears fall faster with the thought of not being able to apologize, to reconcile. I finally decide to take action and lift his light body up. I run to the cave, only thinking about how much my life would suck without him.

Superboy goes wide eyed when I stop in front of him, holding Robin.

"What happened?"

"He got hit... by a car"

Conner grimaces and I hand Tim over, so he can get to Canary or anyone else who can help. I run in to tell the others about Robin's current condition. They all seem to be having fun and I hate being the one to have to kill the mood.

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone turns.

"Where have you been, Ese?" Jaime asks, with concern, obviously having noticed my worry.

"Rob and I were at the tower and" I pause for a moment "And... something happened" I stop again to get my tears under control "He-he was hit by a car" The tears don't stay in my eyes like I want them to.

The seven in the room gasp, but Cassie seems the most worried.

"Is he... _alright_?" She asks cautiously.

I nod "I think so, Supes just took him to the med bay"

"Can we go see him?" Beast Boy speaks up.

I quickly run to the medical room. Black Canary is already tending Robin.

"No, not right now" I answer, getting different sounds of worry from each person.

I glance behind me, sensing a prescense and meet Superboy's saddened eyes. Somehow that look makes me feel even worse. I don't understand how that's possible. I feel as if everyone is staring at me and I awkwardly stand there waiting for something to happen.

Hours could've passed and I would have no clue, but finally Canary walks into the room with a list in her hand. "I presume you want to know?" She asks quietly.

The only response is the synchronised nodding of heads.

She sighs "It's not very good, but, it's not as bad as it could have been. A lot of muscle and tissue bruising, multiple fractures, a broken arm and a broken leg. Lost a little blood from a compound fracture on his ankle and has a lot of cuts from what we presume is glass" She looks around the room and adds in a cheerier tone "But otherwise, he's perfectly fine. He should be awake soon"

The idea that he should be awake soon would normally make me so much happier, but now I only feel heavier with guilt. He was hit by that car because of me. He was running away from me all because I couldn't stop myself from looking in that draw. He's injured really badly, and it's my fault.

"Come on, Ese, let's go see him" Jaime says in an almost cheerful tone.

Is it really that easy to read what I'm thinking?

"Okay" I answer quietly and follow him down the halls to the medical bay.

As we walk in, more guilt adds to my over-sized pile. Robin is pale as a ghost, covered in bandages that blend neatly with his current skin tone and a cast on his right arm from his wrist up to his elbow. I start shaking with the worry and guilt that has managed to stack so high in only the past two hours.

Jaime stands by Robin's bedside, while I quickly run to the chair, in fear of collapsing. I notice how his breathing is slow and ragged from the tiny rise and fall of his chest. Tears start stinging in my eyes but I force them away. I look up to see Jaime is staring at me.

"What?" I find a way to stop the strain I felt coming.

He walks over to my side and places his hand on my shoulder. For some reason, I turn to face him, the tears terrifyingly close to falling.

"It wasn't your fault" He almost whispers.

As the words process, I finally break. The tears flood my face and I would feel embarrased if I wasn't too busy crying my heart out. In an immediate response, I am pulled into a tight embrace, which only makes my sadness worse.

"Come on Ese. It's not your fault, you had no idea this would happen, you couldn't have stopped it"

"But it was my fault!" I practically scream through the loud sobs "I made him angry and he stormed out and then I was distracting him and I didn't pay any attention to the road. Next thing I see his him sprawled against the asphalt with blood everywhere! I should've seen the car!" More tears run down my face and soak into Jaime's shirt, he doesn't seem to care.

"You can't always be on alert"

"I have superspeed! My brain and sense are _supposed_ to always be on alert! They're supposed to prevent these sort of things" I almost go completely limp in the safety of Jaime's arms "This never should have happened to him" I whisper.

"You didn't have any control over it"

"Bu-"

"No" He says firmly "Accidents happen. They always will. No matter what abilities you have" He pauses, expecting me to make an objection. I don't, so he continues "Do you think Tim wants you to be blaming yourself and crying over this? Besides, you know how he is, soon as he's able to fight, he'll be straight back into business"

"I guess" I sniffle and reluctantly, I pull away from the hug.

"You guess? Come on, you know how stubborn he is. I give it two weeks, _maximum_ , until he starts complaining"

I laugh, despite my sadness "More like _one_ week"

"Exactly" Jaime laughs.

"One week? Try one _day_ "

I whip around and meet Robin's sunglass covered eyes. "I'm so sorry" I barely whisper as my eyes begin to sting with tears.

He sighs "I'm sorry too. I was being unfair"

"No way. I went through your personal stuff"

"Ooo, Ese, you went through his stuff?" Jaime asks with disbelief.

"Yeah.. To be fair, it was already open" I defend quietly.

"Still, you actually _went through_ Robin's stuff?"

"Ah Bats is gonna kill me for this" Robin mutters softly before he pulls his sunglasses off, his eyes staying closed "Robin is too formal" His eyelids open, revealing vibrant, cobalt orbs "Just call me Tim"

I can see that Jaime's eyes are widened, but more in curiosity than shock, like mine are.

"Drake? Tim _Drake_?" Jaime finally breaks the silence.

"The one and only" Tim smirks.

"As in _Bruce Wayne's_ adopted son, Tim Drake?"

"What did I just say?"

"Wait. So if you're adopted, by a _millionaire_ , that means that.. I'm so sorry" I whisper after getting over the shock.

"Yeah..."

Jaime just stands there, confusion spread across his face.

"If he's _adopted_ , that means that his parents.. you know"

The confusion quickly turned to realization, which turned into annoyance as he turned to face his back "Shut up"

Tim sighs "My mother died from a poison and my father was murdered by Captain Boomerang" He explains it quickly, and shoots me a glance.

My eyes go wide as I realize I had held the weapon that took the life of one of my best friend's parents away. I look back up to see that Tim is desperately trying to fight the tears welling up, blinking rapidly.

"It's fine" He half laughs and brushes the tears away "I'm fine"

Before anything else can be done, the door is almost swung off it's hinges when Nightwing barges through and stalks over to us. I share a look of horror with Jaime, but at least it's not Batman.

He stops beside Tim, not seeming to notice our prescence and the first thing he does is pull him into a hug.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"Good" Nightwing pulls away and glances over at Jaime and I, an explosion of fear clouding my mind "Better put your glasses back on, before The Bat gets here" He warns with a smile that eases the terror "Batgirl's also on her way"

Tim nods and quickly picks his discarded sunglasses back up, placing it back over his eyes scant seconds before Batman pushes the door open, with less aggression than Nightwing had. One brief look from him, and Jaime and I hurry out, just catching Batman ask how he is.

I smile as I realize how much Robin trusts me. I already knew his secret, it's the fact that he told me that made me so shocked. The fact that he would defy Batman just for Jaime and I.


End file.
